Honest fact: I was dedicated when I was a baby. It was my birthmother's first time in our church. She still almost never goes. (last time she went was my mother's funeral, and asked after for a CD of the song I sang-and they say I can't sing!)
"Normal Talk"
"Bee's Talk"
"Bee's Talk Holoform"
"Other Side Over the Phone (Comms)"
'Thoughts'
~Bond communication~
~Telepathic communication~
First Sunday
The Next Day, 7:00 am, Ratchet's POV
"Dada! Up!"
I groan before climbing out of my berth and getting her out of her crib. "Morning, Sweetspark."
"Baba?"
I sigh before nodding, and quickly fill her bottle before handing it to her. It's off her schedule, certainly, but we'll both have to adjust if I'm going to start taking her to church. While she starts on her bottle, I quickly start getting her breakfast ready and getting an outfit together for her, then get her settled into her high chair.
"Dada?"
"We've got to leave in a couple hours, and you still need a bath."
"Go?"
"Agent Fowler invited us to his church."
I'm surprised when she smiles up at me. As soon as she's done eating, I take her into the bathroom to bathe her, then brush her teeth and dry her hair. I then take her back into my room and dress her in a short sleeved dress with a white eyelet top, yellow peter pan collar, and cuffs, and white waistband trimmed in yellow with pink flowers, and a yellow skirt, white tights, and yellow patent leather Mary Jane shoes. I slip a yellow and white bow clip into her hair, then tie on a white bonnet with yellow roses.
I glance at the time and check to make sure I have a suitable "outfit" programed into my holoform, and smile when I find one.
"Dada?"
I pack her diaper bag quckly, including her schedule and a couple extra outfits, then help her into a white cardigan. "Looks like you're ready…" I look over her one more time, then carry her into the main room.
Main Room, 8:53 am
"Ratchet? Where are you going?"
I sigh heavily before setting Mariposa and her bag on the floor. "Agent Fowler asked me to take her to his church for some special service."
"Do you need help getting her settled?"
I shake my head. "I've got it." I transform and activate my holoform, then put Mariposa into her seat before deactivating it. "Ready, Sweetspark?"
"Go!"
We pull out onto the street and start for Jasper.
Beams of Heaven Baptist Church
I pull into the lot ten minutes before the service is supposed to start. After parking, I climb out and get my daughter before starting for the door.
"Glad you could make it, Rick!"
"Me too, Bill."
"Come on, I'll show you around, and—" He glances over to someone. "Pastor Barns."
"Did you need something?"
He waves a hand toward me. "This is my friend, Rick. He's trying to adopt a child, and he—"
"Excuse me, but, Bill, I can speak for myself." I turn to the man. "Could we go somewhere a little more private?"
Pastor's Office
He motions for me to sit across from him. "Now…"
I sigh heavily. "As Bill mentioned, I'm in the process of adopting a baby girl, and I was hoping to have her dedicated with the others."
"It's…" He sighs. "Are you new to the faith?"
I sigh heavily. At least I can be moderately honest, while keeping the major government secrets intact. "I've been a believer for several years, but haven't been able to find a church, and, because I had to leave my…country, in a hurry, I wasn't able to bring much more than my medical kit and a few supplies."
"Excuse me?"
"I'm a field medic, and a refugee."
He nods, and stands before moving to the shelves before turning back to me with a flat box. "Then I'll save you the trouble of having to shop around with a young child." He sets it in front of me before sighing. "Now, about your daughter?" I sigh. "I assume the adoption is close to being finalized?"
"A—Bill has been keeping me updated, since I have yet to get fully settled." I sigh heavily. "I'm still waiting to hear from the realtor about a house, which means we have been forced to live in a motel." I sigh heavily. "My appologies, Mr. Barns—"
"Call me Wyatt."
"Wyatt. I know Bill as a government agent, so I am accustomed to calling him such." I lean forward. "It should be finalized by July at the latest, but I've been told the judge is satisfied with the reports so far, so it looks good."
He leans against his desk and folds his hands. "Do you know if she has been in church before?"
I shake my head before sighing. "I wouldn't know. Her old family used to abuse her. I found her next to someone's trash, and reported them. With hope, they are in prison now." I sigh before turning back to him. "She's a princess, Wyatt—royalty."
He hands me a slip of paper. "You need to read these before eleven. Then we'll start the dedication." He sighs. "Just come whenever you're able, and…try to keep her in church? I understand your situation, but it'll make my family look bad if I allow this and we never see you again."
"I'll do my best." He holds out a hand, and I shake it.
Sunday School
Agent Fowler quickly finishes with the tour, and we return to our seats. I set Mariposa on my lap to wait for the dedication to begin.
"Dada?"
"Hush, Little One." I sigh heavily, and slip a yellow and white pacifier into her mouth. Maybe it will keep her quiet until the main service.
I can see several children around her age, who I assume are waiting for the same thing I am.
Church Service
"The purpose of baby dedication is to establish the partnership between the parents and the church in passing on the faith to their children and their children's children." He flips through the Bible in front of him. I know what it is only because he'd given me one before what they call Sunday School. "We'll start our reading in Deuteronomy 6, verses 4 through 6. "Hear, O Israel, The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart."
I glance toward Agent Fowler and Maya, then down to Mariposa, before turning back to the front. I'm worried she'll make a scene because it's past time for her nap, but she's doing fine so far.
"Now turn to Psalm 78, verse 1, and we'll read through 8." He waits until the rustling stops before continuing. "Give ear, O my people, to my law: incline your ears to the words on my mouth. I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old: Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from their children, shewing to the generation to come the praises of the Lord, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done. For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded to our fathers, that they should make them known to their children: That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born, who should arise and declare them to their children: That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments: And might not be as their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation; a generation that set not their heart aright, and whose spirit was not steadfast with God." He seems to lock eyes with me, an unasked question in them. I nod. "Each family has read the scriptures and more and are impressed to make a public proclamation to dedicate their children and to bear witness of their intent to pass on their faith to their children."
Finally, he asks us to come up to the front. I slip her sweater off and set it on her bag with her bonnet, then take her pacifier and set it on the pew. Besides myself and Agent Fowler, there are seven families.
He turns first to a couple with three boys on the ground, a toddler in the man's arms, and a baby in the woman's arms. The entire family is wearing light blue. "Victor and Candace Van Stone have chosen to dedicate their two youngest children: Damien and Cayden." He turns to the father first with a light blue Bible, then hands a matching one to their mother. I'd seen the two stacks in his office.
He moves down the line to a blonde woman holding a little girl wearing green. The mother is wearing pink, but her father is wearing a tailored suit. I recognize him from one of Agent Fowler's pictures from when he was in the Army. "Will and Sarah Lennox are dedicating their first child, Annabelle." He hands the mother a pink Bible before moving on.
The next family is a woman with blonde hair a man with brown, both wearing brown. The little boy in the mother's arms is wearing tan, and the young girl with them wearing a brown dress. "John and Nicole Davis are new to the Faith, and have asked to dedicate their foster daughter Miko with their new son James." He hands the young girl, who's acting shy, a pink Bible.
The woman nudges the girl. "What do you say?"
"Th-thank you."
Wyatt sighs before handing the mother a blue Bible.
Agent Fowler and Maya are next. Maya's wearing yellow, and Bill is wearing a tan suit. Stephanie's wearing a mint green dress with pink tights, and sitting on Fowler's hip. "Bill and Maya Fowler have chosen to dedicate their daughter Stephanie." Another pink Bible changes hands.
I'm next. I'm not usually this nervous, but this isn't anything like what I've had to do. "Richard Anderson is in the process of adopting Marianne, and has come asking to have his soon-to-be daughter dedicated as well." He hands me one on the pink Bibles. Now that I can see it clearer, I can see the image of a young girl with long hair, and a heart with "Precious Moments".
He moves down the line. The next family has a set of twins and an older girl with them, and a daughter Mariposa's age in the mother's arms. The whole family is wearing yellow. "Robert and Monique Epps have chosen to dedicate their youngest daughter, Mozambiqua." Another pink Bible changes hands
The next is a couple with a boy Mariposa's age. "Mark and Kellie Jameson have decided to dedicate their only son, Chris." A blue Bible changes hands. "Brian and Morgan Manns have chosen to dedicate their son Jackson." The last blue Bible changes hands.
"Finally, we have June Darby, dedicating her youngest daughter, Jasmine." He hands her the last of the pink Bibles.
'June? Why didn't I see her earlier?'
He turns back to the congregation. "God gives clear commands to parents to pass on their faith to their children. The church is your faith family that will walk along side you with love, support, and prayer in this endeavor. We do this by promising to equip you as parents for this task, by praying with and for you, by providing solid, biblically based, developmentally appropriate programs, for you and your child to learn, and by giving you opportunities with and in the family of God to worship, study, fellowship, service, and witness as a family unit in the larger community of faith setting. We want to be the best friend a parent can have as they seek to pass on their faith to their children. We want to be available to you and your family. Dedication is a serious public declaration of your intent to commit to obey God's word, and pass on your faith to the next generation. At the same time it is also an affirmation that you are not alone in this awesome task; the body of Christ is standing with you."
"Church, are you willing to take on the responsibility to love, care, and support these parents as they work to pass on their faith to their children. Promising to love them, equip them, pray for and with them, supporting by example and involvement in their lives as they work toward this end. If you agree to that please stand and say, 'I will.'"
"I will."
Outside
We're barely outside before Mariposa starts crying. I knew it was a bad idea for her to miss her nap.
"Well?"
"Well what, Bill?"
"What did you think?"
"I liked it. He's good, and he seems to truly believe in what he teaches."
"You gonna come back?"
I shift Mariposa before sighing. "I want to, but it depends on whether or not Mari can handle it."
"You can leave her in the nursery, you know. No one will take her, and they'll make sure she gets her nap." He motions to her. "We can avoid another incident like this one." He sighs. "Are you coming tonight?"
"I want to try, at least, but I'm trying to fit all this into her schedule." I sigh as I climb into the back of my vehicle mode and set Mariposa into the build-in child seat. "Once she's used to the change, we'll be coming as frequently as is possible." I turn back to Agent Fowler. "When our enemy returns, however, I may not be able to come as often."
"That's all we ask."
Base
I pull in and wait for Arcee to get Mariposa out, then transform and take her.
"Did she behave?"
"Perfectly, until the moment we stepped outside." I sigh. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get her changed and fed so she can get her nap. She missed her morning nap because of the dedication."
I change Mariposa's diaper, then dress her in a yellow short sleeved onesie with a black and white polka-dot stripe under the waist and a flower connected and a bumblebee graphic with "Bee-utiful", black tulle skirt, yellow headband with a black flower, and yellow sandals before setting her in her high chair and set her ravioli and a bottle of juice on the tray.
As soon as she's done, I tuck her into her crib with her energon.
That Night
I change Mariposa into a pink sleeper with a white dog print and tuck her into her crib.
"Dada?"
"Sleep well, Little One."
